One disadvantage of presently known whip or whipping hose type sprinklers is that changes in water pressure adversely affect the operation of the sprinkler with the result that water coverage is not equal over all portions of the irrigated area. The whip deflection sprinkler of the present invention overcomes this disadvantage by providing an improved sprinkler which will operate satisfactorily throughout a wide range of pressures.

It is, therefore, one object of the present invention to provide an improved whip type sprinkler which is arranged to provide substantially equal coverage over the entire sprinkled area for each of many different ranges of water pressure.

Another object is to provide an improved sprinkler which is simple in design and inexpensive to manufacture.

Another object is to provide an improved sprinkler having only one moving part, which part is protected from damage when the sprinkler is handled roughly.

Another object is to provide an improved sprinkler which is light in weight yet rugged in construction.

These and other objects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following description and the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is an elevation of the improved sprinkler of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a top plan of the sprinkler of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a section taken along lines 33 of FIG. 1.

The improved sprinkler 6 (FIGS. 1 and 2) of the present invention is adapted for mounting on a section of pipe 10, such as a section of portable irrigation pipe line through which Water under pressure is pumped.

The sprinkler 6 comprises a riser pipe 8, a tubular pipe fitting E12 screwed on the riser pipe 8, a slotted housing 14 screwed on the upper end of the fitting v12 and projecting upwardly therefrom, and a gyrating tube 16 of flexible resilient material, such as rubber, disposed in the fitting 12 and projecting upwardly therefrom within the housing 14.

An annular flange 18 (FIG. 3) integral with the gyrating tube 16is held in fixed engagement against an annular shoulder 20 in the fitting 12 by liquidpressure in the riser pipe 8 and also by frictional engagement between the tube 16 and the fitting 12. A lower end portion 22 of the tube 16, which projects below the flange 18, is tapered and is smaller in external diameter than an upper portion '24 of the tube 16. When mounting the tube 16 in the pipe fitting 12, the lower end portion 22 is first pushed through the opening in the fitting -12 and is then gripped by pliers, or any other suitable gripping tool, so that the flange 18 can be forcibly pulled through the opening in the fitting and then seated against the shoulder 20. A helical rib 26 is integrally formed around the upper portion 24 of the gyration tube 16 for reasons soon tobe explained.

The slotted housing 14 includes an upstanding body 30 and a discharge controlling portion or cap 32. 'In order to prevent the accumulation of dirt, debris or water in the upstanding body 30 of the housing 14, the body 30 is provided with several vertical slots 34 through which material can be expelled. The discharge controll- Patented Nov. 21,1961

ling portion 32, which is integral with the body 30, is shaped somewhat like an inverted cone having an apex 35 and a concave, conical wall36 which wall defi nes one surface of an annular discharge port 38. A flared upper a the present invention, water received from the'conduit 10 is jetted from the upper end of the gyration tube 16 (FIG. 3) and is discharged from the sprinkler t5 through the annular port 38. The reaction force of water discharged from the tube 16 causes the tube to bend in such a way that the discharge end portion of the tube 16 is forced against the inner .wall of the housing 14 which wall prevents further movement of the tube 16 in that particular direction. The reaction force of the. water then causes the tube 16 to reverse its direction of move merit and the tube 16 whips approximately diametrically across the housing 14 where it is again temporarily stopped by contact with the wall of the housing at a point which is approximately diametrically opposite the first mentioned point on the wall. This whipping procedure continues throughout the operation of the sprinkler 6.

As the tube 16 continuously whips from one side of the housing 14 to the other, the helical rib 26 applies a torsional force to the tube 16 which deflects it from a true diametrical stroke or path across the housing. Each whipping stroke follows a substantially elliptical path and the path for each stroke is angularly advanced several degrees from the path for the preceding stroke about a common center point for the paths of all the strokes, thus causing the upper end of the tube 16 to slowly gyrate within the housing 14. Hence, the stream of water which is discharged from the port 38, angularly advances around the sprinkler 6 several degrees for each whipping stroke of the tube 16.

It will be apparent that during each half of the stroke the upper end of the tube 16 starts from rest against one side of the cylindrical wall of the housing 14, moves rapidly away from this side past the apex 3-5 of the discharge controlling portion 32 of the body 30, and temporarily comes to rest against the opposite side of the housing before starting on its return half of the stroke which, as previously mentioned, is shifted several degrees from the first half of the stroke. Because of this speed relationship, i.e., slow near the ends of the stroke and fast at the center, water is delivered to the area ad- 'jacent the outer circumference of the circular area being irrigated for a longer interval than it is delivered to the central portion of the area. As the upper end of the tube 16 whips past the apex 35 of the portion 32 in its diametrically olfset path, the stream of water is broken up by the apex and is discharged through the port 38 to cover the inner circular area. Since the outer circumferential area of the irrigated circular area includes more square feet of land than the central portion of the area, the above timing results in the depositing of substantially equal amounts of water over all portions of the irrigated area.

Since the upper end of the tube 1 6 is restricted by the housing 14 from free movement over a long whipping stroke, changes in water pressure will have little effect on the operation of the nozzle except that an increase in water pressure results in the irrigation of a larger circular area. If the stroke of the tube 16 were not restricted by the housing 14', increase in pressures would result in the lengthening of the whipping stroke as well as a lengthening of the minor axis of the elliptical path resulting in increasingly poorer distribution of water near the center of the sprinkled area as the pressure is increased.

Since the slotted housing 14 is symmetrical and has no fragile protruding pieces projecting therefrom, and since the flexible tube is positioned within the housing 14, the sprinkler is ideally suited for use with portable irrigation systems which are frequently handled quite roughly when moved from place to place. It is to be understood, however, that the sprinkler 6 of the present invention is in no way limited to use with portable irrigation systems but can also be used as a lawn sprinkler or the like.

It is aparent from the foregoing description that the improved sprinkler of the present invention has only one moving part, operates quite well through a wide pressure range and is ideally suited for use with portable irrigation systems. The sprinkler is also light in weight and inexpensive to manufacture.

While one embodiment of the present invention has been shown and described, it will be understood that various changes and modifications may be made without departing from the spirit of the invention or the scope of the appended claim.

Having thus described the present invention and the manner in which the same is to be used, what is claimed as new and desired to be protected by Letters Patent is:

A sprinkler for distributing fluid from a conduit containing fluid under pressure comprising a pipe fitting adapted for connection to a conduit, 2. flexible resilient tube having one end secured to said fitting and adapted for communication with the conduit for receiving a flow of fluid therethrough for discharge through the other end of said tube, a helical rib on the outer surface of and integral with said tube, said other end of said tube being arranged to whip laterally in generally elliptical paths in response to the reaction force of fluid being discharged from said tube and said helical rib being arranged to apply a torque to said tube during the whipping motion of said tube to cause each elliptical path to angularly advance several degrees from its preceding path, a generally tubular body of larger internal diameter than the external diameter of said tube rigidly secured to said pipe fitting and enclosing the other end of said tube to prevent excessive whipping of said tube, said body having a flared upper end which defines the lower wall of an annular discharge port, a plurality of radial vanes rigid with said body and projecting into said port, and an inverted generally conical cap rigidly secured to said vanes and concentric with said body and having a point and a concave conical wall which defines the upper wall of said port, said point and said walls of said port being arranged to intercept and deflect the fluid discharged from said tube to obtain substantially equal fluid coverage over all portions of the sprinkled area, said point being arranged to intercept the stream of fluid when the tube passes thereby at a point in the stream which is spaced from the center of said stream to direct a greater proportion of said fluid radially outward from one side of said tubular body than from the other side of said tubular body.